Life After Death

by Gerald Condie
Catholic New Times

For the great number of people who have followed Tom Harpur's newspaper columns or have heard or seen him on radio and TV, his interest in life after death is well-known. The fact that he has written a book dealing exclusively with this question will be greeted enthusiastically by his followers.

Harpur has applied his considerable experience and skill as Biblical scholar, researcher, and journalist to produce a thorough and readable treatment of a topic which interests almost all of us to some degree and inspires considerable controversy between those who accept and those who reject the existence of life after death.

Over the years Harpur has drawn criticism for his views and interpretations from the more conservative and orthodox elements of the church as well as from professed non-believers who cite his Christian bias as a reason for rejecting his convictions.

Harpur openly acknowledges his commitment to Christian beliefs, if not to the institutional church, but makes a genuine effort to weigh the evidence objectively and then base his conclusions on the merits of the evidence.

Harpur's argument is divided into five parts, each dealing with a specific aspect of his investigation. The Secular Witness looks at such items as dreams, paranormal experiences of other worlds, and near-death experiences (NDE).

Since 1975, when Dr. Raymond Moody published Life After Life, over eight million people in the U.S. alone have reported a personal NDE. Harpur deals at some length with this widely experienced and controversial phenomenon.

The chapter of Reincarnation offers interesting sidelights on the New Age thinking so popular at the present time. New Light from Science distinguishes between science and what Harpur calls "scientism" and touches on the shift from the "old view of science" with its so-called scientific or rationalistic "proof" to the new scientific reasoning of modern physicists who "often come close to the language of mysticism when they try to describe the underlying basis of the cosmos." The influence of Carl Jung on Harpur's thinking is evident in this chapter and throughout the book.

In The Religious Witness, the section on Christianity reviews the positions of traditional and mainline Christianity. It is interesting to note that in his study of the teachings of Jesus and His resurrection, Harpur bases his belief in the Risen Christ not so much on the four Gospels as on the witness of St. Paul, whose letters were written before any of the Gospels.

In Three Christian Sects, Harpur cites the doctrines of the Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses and Christian Scientists. Here the word "sect" is in no way pejorative, but emphasizes the separation of these groups from the mainline churches.

Part Four consists of brief accounts of the relevant beliefs of followers of Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Baha'i and Native Spirituality.

Harpur's personal reflections and conclusions are recorded in Part Five. In an old song made famous by Peggy Lee, the singer asks "Is that all there is?" - a question as old as humanity itself. Harpur's skill as a journalist enables his reader to share his search for an answer to this question.

Is the desire for an existence beyond this earthly life merely wishful thinking - a vain hope for some compensation for life's trials as we journey through this "vale of tears?" Or is this some glimpse of the truth hidden deep in the human psyche that our life on this earth is a stage of our development and that death is to use Harpur's phrase, "ultimately transcended by new life?"

Harpur believes that the evidence supports this latter view. He does not claim to have total, irrefutable proof and admits that there is an act of faith or trust here. He insists, however, that this is not a blind faith, but a faith "firmly supported by and based on a process of sound rational thought." He has made a decision based on a reasonable conclusion about where the evidence leads.

This is vintage Harpur. For readers who are favourably disposed, Life After Death will provide welcome reinforcement for their belief. Those who feel that Harpur generally fails to accord traditional orthodoxy sufficient respect may dismiss some of his conclusions as clever rational speculation.

While Harpur's judgements may not convince people who adamantly reject the reality, or even the possibility of a life beyond, most readers will be impressed by his open-minded, sincere and honest attempt to provide a credible answer and hope for all who share his interest in the ultimate meaning of life.